India opened its medal tally at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar clinched a bronze medal in the men's heavyweight final early Saturday (IST).Jhandu secured a place on the podium with a best successful lift of 190kg, earning 130.9 points. He started strongly by lifting 181kg in his opening attempt for 124.7 points before improving to 190kg in his second lift, a performance that briefly moved him to the top of the standings.In his final attempt, Jhandu went for 196kg, which would have broken the Commonwealth Games meet record set at Birmingham 2022. However, he was unable to complete the lift and eventually settled for the bronze medal.Read More: Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games unveils first-ever medals with braille and tactile featuresThe medal marked India's first medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games as well as the country's first medal in para powerlifting at the Glasgow edition of the Games.Speaking after his medal-winning performance, an elated Jhandu described the achievement as the biggest moment of his career."I feel as if I'm flying. This is my first medal. Only one thing was going through my mind: that I have to win the medal. Just have to win," Jhandu Kumar told ANI.Reflecting on his journey, he thanked his family, coaches and everyone who supported him throughout his career."I'm very grateful that they let me practice so much and gave me so much love. I feel very good. I'll try to do even better in the future," he said.Jhandu also acknowledged the support of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), crediting them for providing the training environment that helped him reach the podium."I'm extremely grateful to them. We practice there, and this medal belongs to them, in a way," he said.Earlier in the competition, India's other para powerlifters narrowly missed out on medals. Ashok finished fourth in the men's lightweight final with a personal-best lift of 200kg, scoring 143.8 points, while Paramjeet Kumar placed seventh after lifting 176kg for 135.6 points.In the women's lightweight category, Jaspreet Kaur finished sixth with a best lift of 100kg for 96.4 points, while Suman Devi also lifted 100kg but ended seventh with 88.4 points.Read More: Commonwealth Games 2026: India beat South Africa in Lawn Bowls women's pairs event to notch second win on trotKasthuri Rajamani, competing in the women's heavyweight final, was unable to register a valid lift after all three of her attempts were unsuccessful.Despite the mixed results across the para powerlifting events, Jhandu's bronze ensured India opened its medal account at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with a podium finish.